Scissor Damsel
by iPepsi
Summary: Hollywood Arts Student Jade West and Sherwood High Student Tori Vega cross paths online through a TV forum dedicated to their mutual favorite series, American Terror Legends. What begins as a clashing of personalities and opinions transforms over time into something more complicated, and neither of them has a grasp on what should be their next move.
1. Chapter 1

**Scissor Damsel: Chapter One**

Tori Vega sat at the small desk in the corner of her bedroom, tapping her pencil against her math textbook. The glow of her laptop screen in combination with a pink desk lamp kept just enough light in her room to work on homework while giving anyone who passed her door the impression she may already be in bed. This was the best way to limit interruptions from her obnoxious sister, Trina, or her overprotective parents. She was three problems away from finishing for the night, but she kept getting distracted by thread updates on her favorite forum. Nobody from her school understood why she was so obsessed with television, so this was her only way of venting her fan girl frustrations with people who wouldn't attempt admitting her to the nearest psych hospital.

There was a particular topic buzzing tonight, because the new episode of American Terror Legends featured a controversial character death. She was currently in the middle of a debate with a user she noticed spending almost the same amount of time posting on the forums as she did. One of the admins got in the middle of their conversation and told them to take it to a private message if they had more to say. Her nerves crept up as she realized the other user was choosing to take this advice as her inbox lit up for the first time.

_From: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_To: DrowningDamsel_

_DroDam,_

_I think it is naïve to believe the writers won't bring Charlotte back. Her death was not even gruesome like the others. If her body is in one piece then what stops them from reviving her? She is one of the few characters with any real plot attached to her. If she stays dead how will they continue the season?_

_-SciSlay_

Tori read the message over twice, and her fingers tingled with desire to continue engaging with this other fan, but she really needed to be in bed soon. She closed the laptop and tried to focus back on algebra for about 15 minutes before she made up showing her work and just looked in the back since the answers were odds. Rather than get into bed after brushing her teeth, Tori opened her laptop back up and prepared a reply to the forum message.

_From: DrowningDamsel_

_To: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_SciSlay,_

_I don't see the point in offing Charlotte in the first place if she is really so important to the plot. Maybe it's just a fake out that they've kept so many other characters in the background. We probably looked over someone who will take over the spotlight now that she is out of their way. She was too easy of a target. They wanted us to believe she was in charge only long enough to kill her for a shock factor. The worst monster hasn't come to light yet._

_-DroDam_

Once Tori felt satisfied with her response she clicked out of her message box and did a quick browse of the forums to see what else people were talking about. Just when she was getting ready to sign off for the night, she saw another message had popped up in her inbox.

_From: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_To: DrowningDamsel_

_DroDam,_

_Just because a worse monster is potentially yet to be revealed doesn't mean Charlotte can't be revived as their prized minion. I happen to know this particular screenwriter has a zombie fetish and I'll be damned if I lost a bet on his intentions for Charlotte's character._

_-SciSlay_

Tori rolled her eyes. This fan would not back down for anything. She clearly did her research though. Tori hadn't bothered to know the writers' names, let alone their habits. Maybe there was hope for her after all if hardcore fans like xxScissorSlayerxx existed.

_From: DrowningDamsel_

_To: xxScissorSlayerxx:_

_SciSlay,_

_I'd love to continue this discussion but I really don't think we are going to agree, and I have to get enough sleep for school in the morning. Also, how do you know so much about the writers? We'll have to wait for more episodes to know who's right anyway._

_-DroDam_

Tori tried to wait a couple more minutes for a reply but found herself nodding off, so she shut down her computer and went to bed.

In a different part of Los Angeles, Jade West sat in her father's abandoned den typing away furiously on the same forum as Tori Vega under the handle xxScissorSlayerxx.

_From: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_To: DrowningDamsel_

_DroDam,_

_It is my job to know the habits of the screenwriters, because I study the craft and intend to become a professional myself. I drink coffee to avoid needing as much sleep. It allows me more time to immerse myself in the material for my future career which also happens to make up most of my homework._

_-SciSlay_

Jade felt satisfied with her reply and hit send, knowing the recipient would likely not be reading it until the next day. That was all the better since she needed to finish writing a song for one of her classes anyway. The downside to studying at an arts school is being forced to take courses in the arts that don't necessarily correspond with your strengths or highest interests for the sake of being well-rounded. If she could, she would only attend script-related lessons and ignore everything else. But she'd have to make it into the business for real before that would be possible. Wherever DrowningDamsel went to school, she was certain it was less impressive.

Tori got online as soon as school let out and she had the chance to grab a snack from the kitchen. She was very curious to know about the reply to her last message, feeling confident there would be one. As expected, there it was, the reply sent the night before by SciSlay. Tori shook her head upon reading the message. She should have known this girl was a snob from some uppity arts school. Her sister went to one, so she knew what those guys were like.

_From: DrowningDamsel_

_To: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_SciSlay,_

_I admire your dedication to your craft, but if it was your intention to impress me, you'll have to do better than that to calm my urge to continue debate with you about future episodes. My sister also attends a school for the arts and she is quite talentless, so I question what really gets anyone into those programs. Not to say I doubt your abilities, but I know some slip through the cracks that shouldn't._

_-DroDam_

Tori felt a bit sassy about the response but hit send anyway, after all, it's not like this girl's credentials were verified. She could be all talk.

Jade, also home from a long day at school, logged back into her laptop and checked the forums first thing to find a new message. She felt immediately defensive about what she read.

_From: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_To: DrowningDamsel_

_DroDam,_

_Do you have Snype? I want to prove to you I'm the real deal._

_-SciSlay_

Jade was suddenly regretting sending this request. She hadn't Snyped a stranger before, let alone shared her work with one. But she was determined to do this for some reason. Tori similarly read the message and paused. Should she let this random girl know her Snype? Only friends from her school knew it so far. She eventually channeled the courage to go for it.

_From: DrowningDamsel_

_To: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_SciSlay,_

_My Snype username is ToriV._

_-DroDam_

Tori waited only a couple of minutes before a chat request flashed on her screen: "JadeW has requested to add you as a contact on Snype." Tori accepted the request and waited for the other girl to type something. She could tell SciSlay was about to start the conversation because the words, "JadeW is typing…" appeared on the chat screen.

JadeW: Do you have your Snype set up to allow file sharing?

ToriV: I think so. If it's the default setting.

*JadeW has requested to share a file with you: ClownsDontBounce *

*ToriV has finished downloading ClownsDontBounce *

ToriV: This isn't going to be a virus, is it?

JadeW: Shouldn't you have thought about that before you clicked to accept the download?

ToriV: Too late now. I may as well open it.

JadeW: If I find this uploaded online anywhere I swear I'll figure out where you live and…

ToriV: Let me guess, you'll scissor me to death?

Jade smirked as she read the last IM from ToriV, wondering if she even realized the easy misinterpretation of her own words.

JadeW: I think you misread my username. I'm a slayer, not a succubus.

Tori blushed upon reading JadeW's response. Obviously she had meant to accuse this girl of having a fascination with stabbing people using scissors. Instead she took a nosedive into something implicitly sexual.

ToriV: You know what I meant.

JadeW: How can I be so sure? We're perfect strangers. You could be a pleasure-seeking deviant by night, American Terror Legends fan by day. They'd go perfectly hand-in-hand if you really think about it.

ToriV: No wonder you enjoy writing scripts, your imagination is out of control.

JadeW: Your accusation seems a bit premature. Have you even started reading my play that I sent you?

ToriV: No, I'll read it after I finish my homework. How late will you be on?

JadeW: Judging by last night, much later than you will be.

ToriV: Okay, I'll read a bit later then let you know what I think.

JadeW: The threat still stands. If that script reaches anyone else's eyes, it will be the last thing either of you see.

ToriV: Maybe they should make you a character on American Terror Legends.

JadeW: Not even 10 minutes on Snype with me, and already tapping into my fantasies. You waste no time, ToriV.


	2. Chapter 2

**Scissor Damsel: Chapter Two**

It took Tori two nights to finish reading the script Jade sent her on Snype, so she avoided logging back on until the third night. Once she had begun reading it she had trouble putting it down long enough to get her homework done. She even printed a copy and brought it with her to school the day after it was sent to her because she didn't want to waste any time finding out what would happen next. It contained the perfect combination of terror and comedy, and the twisted nature of it all had her sucked in much like American Terror Legends. When she finally did check the forum again she was met with the warning that she had a new private message.

_From: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_To: DrowningDamsel_

_DroDam,_

_Where have you been? You better not be selling my play on the black market!_

_-SciSlay_

Tori rolled her eyes and double clicked the icon in the bottom left of her screen to open Snype. As expected, Jade sent her a message almost immediately.

JadeW: Why haven't you been online?

ToriV: One of your characters came to life and claimed me as their next victim. You are now talking to my ghost.

JadeW: Quite a disappointment I wasn't invited to attend as a witness to your suffering.

ToriV: You'd have to know where to find me first.

JadeW: Of course you'd spoil my fun with your realistic points.

ToriV: It's only fair since you hijacked the last 48 hours of my life.

JadeW: I didn't say you had to read the whole play, did I?

ToriV: You win. I couldn't just read the first act then stop. I had to know everything.

JadeW: So I take it you're ready to assert that I earned my place in an arts school?

ToriV: I'm surprised they haven't yanked you out of school and ordered you to write for the big screen already.

JadeW: Maybe they would if the school let me put my work on stage. But it's booked up through next Fall, and I can't afford an off campus venue. My parents already throw a fit over paying tuition so that cash cow has been milked dry.

ToriV: There's no chance somebody might cancel their stage reservation or any friends who might be willing to swap?

JadeW: Fat chance. Seniors get priority, even the ones who don't deserve it. Like this one girl booked an entire three nights for her one woman show. She is the most obnoxious, talentless person I've ever met. Every time I see her I imagine myself pushing her off a cliff and stealing her reservation.

ToriV: Have you thought about doing some fundraising?

JadeW: I hate people.

ToriV: But there's less jail time involved. Bail doesn't run cheap either. :P

JadeW: Or I could just bank on making the tragic event look like an accident.

ToriV: Now is the part where I begin to wonder if it's safe talking to you. You seem like the perfect candidate to turn American Terror Legends into true, current events.

JadeW: I might spare you if you help me get funding for my play.

ToriV: I don't know if I'd be of much help, but I'll talk to my sister and find out what she usually does to pay for her performances. She has all these ridiculous outfits and props that I doubt my parents pay for…

JadeW: Just sell it all in a garage sale and donate the proceeds to my cause.

ToriV: Trust me, that would get me killed faster than whatever torture you have in mind. Let me talk to her and I'll pass along any useful information…if there is some.

Tori signed out of Snype and sighed. Talking to Trina was something she rarely volunteered to do unless it was out of basic necessity. But the play Jade shared with her was genuinely impressive and a girl with a talent like that deserved a chance to show off her work for an audience. So she walked down the hall and knocked on her older sister's bedroom door, hoping to get it over with quick and come out of it with information that would make it worth the effort.

Trina was inside her room with music blasting through her headphones. She took forever to notice Tori because she couldn't get her attention from just banging on the door and eventually ended up barging in to interrupt what looked like a solo dance party. Tori tapped her on the shoulder and had to duck to narrowly miss getting slapped by Trina's swinging arm.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?!" Trina exclaimed, upset at being knocked out of her zone.

"I was knocking. How do you expect to hear it when your iPod is up so loud it's almost the same as listening out of a speaker to anyone else in the same room?"

"Whatever. What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you about how to get funding for a play."

Trina rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed. Tori took a seat in Trina's desk chair, turning it around so it faced the bed.

"Since when do you have any interest in the arts? You've never auditioned for anything in your life."

"Well…that's not entirely true. But anyway, it's not for me. It's for a friend. She wrote this amazing play but she doesn't have anywhere to host an actual performance of it yet. I was hoping you knew some ways to get money for something like that."

"I don't pay for the stage at Hollywood Arts. I just had to book it before the Fall term started. Maybe your friend should go to a better school."

"I'm not sure where she goes to school, but they don't have any openings left this semester. How do you pay for your extra props and things? That's not all covered in tuition, is it?"

"No, I raise the money by selling ads to other students' events at a profit. I use a print store off campus to draft and print whatever they ask for, and then charge them double what it costs me to order them."

"So what you're telling me is that you scam other students for your personal gain? There isn't some legit way like a grant or anything?"

"Maybe there is but that's too much work. I prefer my way."

Tori got up from the chair and pushed it back to its home under the desk.

"I guess I'll have to research some other options. Thanks anyway," Tori mumbled as she exited Trina's room.

When Tori got back to her room and logged into Snype again she saw that Jade was offline, so she decided to send her a private message on the American Terror Legends forum instead.

_To: xxScissorSlayerxx_

_From: DrowningDamsel_

_Jade aka SciSlay,_

_I talked to my sister and I think it's a dead end. It turns out she is conning other students at her school out of their money to pay for her props and not using a more legitimate means of obtaining funding. I'm sure you wouldn't mind doing the same, but if you still want my help you'll have to choose something less dangerous. Please don't take this the wrong way, but if I'm going to help you I'll need more specific information about your location, because most grants are based on you city, district, or at the very least state of residence. Although I've been assuming this whole time you're from California, too. Sorry if I am wrong."_

_-Tori aka DroDam_


End file.
